By Mark Vester
In a recent article penned within The Vangard news publication, the WBF Nigerian cruiserweight champion took shots at his countryman Samuel Peter, for the performance he displayed in his split-decision win over James Toney on September 2 in California.
Bash Ali, the Nigerian WBF cruiserweight champion felt that Peter lacked the conditioning needed to win in a big fight against WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev. He thinks Peter is not ready.
"The fight was boring. We have one legitimate heavyweight who exhibited a lack of fitness and we have a blown up middleweight James Toney. I think Samuel Peter could have knocked him out if he had done what he needed to do," Ali said. “And for him to become heavyweight champion of the world, he needs to do more than he did against Toney. The fight was a very close fight. It shouldn’t have been close."
Ali went as far as stating that if his countryman Peter fights Maskaev the way he fought Toney, he will get knocked out. He also said that Peter did not wear the Nigerian colors, that he did not represent himself like a true Nigerian by wearing blue colored ring attire.
“the main point is that you cannot build skill over-night. The only thing Peter can do is to be in top shape and be in top condition and throw more punches. If he went after the heavyweight champion of the world, Maskaev, the way he fought Toney, he will definitely be knocked out,” Ali emphasised.
“I also think that, this is a personal observation that if Samuel was indeed a Nigerian, he should have worn our national colors, instead of wearing blue. That was a slap on our face."
